


Walking Away Is Never Easy

by EuphoricMother



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Assassin - Freeform, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fanfiction, First Meetings, Kissing, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 12:41:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30139725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EuphoricMother/pseuds/EuphoricMother
Summary: Being an assassin who's targets are always the scum that do unscrupulous crimes for their own personal gains, is something Claude is good at.  Part of a team of vigilantes, he always hit his target.  Reviewing this profession, he began to contemplate another line of work.  That was until he realized who the one person was that always made sure he made it out undetected and alive.Claude watched long pink hair get caught up in the breeze and chase about her head and shoulders as she walked down the sidewalk.  She was sheer poetry in motion and caught his eye every time.Written by request
Relationships: Hilda Valentine Goneril/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 9
Kudos: 8





	Walking Away Is Never Easy

There she was. Claude could see her as watched from his perch on the roof of a neighboring building. Without question, she was the one he knew was going to be the fly in his ointment. Hilda Goneril. This wasn’t the first time he had come across her, but he hoped it would be the last time that he would be so close to her in his current situation. Just one more job. That was the plan. Just finish this one and walk away. Disappear. Could be done, couldn’t it? He had considered this scenario before, yet here he was. Still on the job. But why not? He was good at it. Damn good.

He watched long pink hair get caught up in the breeze and chase about her head and shoulders as she walked down the sidewalk toward the offices that Claude knew his target was holed up in. She was sheer poetry in motion. Something about her tickled his insides every single time he spotted her about the city. Dark brows lowered. “Well, hell,” he sighed as he watched her disappear inside. The plan was so simple. His contact, one he had worked with repeatedly but had never actually met or had even spoken to for their own safety, had already given the green light to begin. There was really nothing to go wrong. He had done this dozens of times. Just sit tight, move in, hit the target, disappear. Why was Hilda there? 

His mind stubbornly wandered to the last time he encountered Hilda as he stared at the small office building that was supposed to be a consulting firm. Just a month ago, she had caught his complete attention at a lavish party. He remembered it well. Could still remember the feel of her in his arms as they had danced a single dance together. The way her eyes lit up when she smiled. The captivating scent of her perfume and the velvety softness of her hair as it had brushed over his hand while he held her. Her body had molded so perfectly against his. This was before he had to excuse himself and fade into the wallpaper, but the memory had haunted him for days.

The target that night had been an easy one. Much easier than shaking Hilda from his system. He had even debated staying at the party just to get close to her again. The idea slipped away that night just as quickly as she had. It seemed that the lovely Hilda had just been some illusion since he couldn’t seem to spot her again. Just as well, since it didn’t take long before confusion over the apparent heart attack of a prominent attorney, that had his hands covered in the filth of child pornography, ensued. 

Somehow, ridding the world of such types as this didn’t seem to weigh too heavily on Claude’s mind. Eliminating someone as captivating as Hilda should she get in the way, well, that might be a hard one to push past. Surely, she wasn’t involved in the underbelly of crime dealings in the city. Or was she? He considered this possibility as he recalled at least one other time he had caught a glimpse of her too close to another of his tasks.

His eyes remained fixed on the office building watching for anyone going in or out. Watching for her. An unlocked alley door was all he needed, and the time was just about upon him. Just a bit longer and his contact should alert all was in place. He reached up and pulled off his sunglasses now that the sun was setting and slid them into his jacket pocket. Feeling his phone vibrate in the back pocket of his black jeans, he felt it safe to assume that his contact was alerting him that everything was now in motion. Everything except for Hilda exiting the building as yet. 

The alerts were always so simple. Ready, set, go. The first to let him know that the plan was beginning execution as agreed, and it was time to prepare. The second came once it was clear that the target was going to be accessible. The third meant it was time to engage. As long as there was a talent for this line of work, there were plenty of well-funded covert groups around the world ready to hire. Once you found one that fit like the proverbial glove, things would click. Certain talents assured your niche. Claude excelled in a couple, and they had propelled him quickly into a comfortable position.

It was pure happenstance that Claude had fallen into this small, yet highly effective organization that was exclusively set up to deal with the underbelly of despicable activity by high-powered miscreants who considered themselves above the law or untouchable. A perfect case of “a guy who knows a guy” situation. It was streamlined vigilante designed for successful outcomes and assured this by a simple team that all had their parts to do. The only thing Claude had to do was the job. None of the contract negotiation, no meetings, no watching the target for days to learn habits, the requestor had no knowledge of who was the one actually pulling the trigger and vice versa. 

He watched a couple leave the building with one more soon following and locking the front door. Glancing at his watch, he noted all was right on time. Everyone was out now except for his target. His target and Hilda. His lips compressed as he wondered if he was going to have to find a way to deal with her to get to his prey. Well, nothing for it but to wait just a bit longer for the cloak of darkness to settle enough so that he could make his way to the access point. 

His phone vibrated again, drawing his complete attention as he wondered if something had gone wrong. Ducking back behind an air conditioning unit so the light of his phone wouldn’t catch any attention as he looked at it, he frowned at the message that simply read “go”. A slow breath escaped his nostrils. This wasn’t good news. Hilda was still in there. As he began to make his way to his destination, he wondered which of the people exiting the building earlier was the contact he had always trusted with his life, but had never met. Had to be one of them that fixed the door and secured the location so he could get in. Unless…he shook this fleeting thought out of his head as he moved out.

Carefully, and ever so slowly, Claude made his way into the building and began his stealthy way to the large office this slimeball was expected to be nestled in, counting his blood money. He wasn’t sure what form of depravity this guy was involved with but taking care of him wasn’t going to cause a bit of sleep deprivation. Reaching under his jacket, his hand wrapped around his weapon, already loaded with a custom poison dart. Fast, silent, and practically undetectable, all that was left was aiming through the open door and pulling the trigger. 

The unsuspecting target’s head hit the desk in front of him with a hard thud. Pushing open the door, Claude stepped in to pull the dart stem from his neck before it left anything more than the hint of an innocent looking insect bite. Done. Just a few more minutes and all life would cease to be in this monster. His dark green eyes stared down at the balding man a moment before looking at the money scattered about the desk. The picture of some silicone-pumped woman with a smile that turned his stomach stared back at him from the frame on the desk. He slowly shook his head in disgust as he headed to the door to make his escape.

As he got to the door, he wondered for a minute what happened to Hilda. She didn’t leave, he would have seen her. So, where was she? Ugh, he hated damn loose ends. If she had seen him, he was in trouble. Glancing back into the office, he decided she wasn’t in there. He would have heard her make any noise at all trying to hide once slimeball’s head hit the desk. He looked down the dimly lit hallway now and wondered if he really needed to attempt to pursue her should she be there. An answer he already knew. Of course, he did. Why the hell did this had to happen on the last job he was planning to do?

Hilda held her breath for a moment as she debated facing the assassin she knew had to be moving toward her. Her decision to stay and catch a glimpse of the person she had been working in silent partnership with for over a year was a stupid one and against all the rules of this game and organization. Still, once she heard rumor that her hatchet was planning to fade away, she at least had to see them. Curiosity wouldn’t let her drop it. They had been a quick moving and perfectly synchronized team for over a year. Precision such as theirs couldn’t just be ignored, could it? 

Flattening against the wall behind the partially open door of the room that was clearly used for storage, she drew a very slow breath and listened. Not a sound. She couldn’t hear so much as a swish of clothing moving. Was she mistaken and lost the chance to see this person as they quietly exited the same way they had entered? Her eyes widened now as she saw the door slowly move, hardly noticeable at all, before it slammed hard against her. Weight being pushed against it from the other side pinned her against the wall before she managed to react, a gloved hand snaking around the door to clasp her throat. Managing to lift her hand, she wrapped It around the wrist of the hand threatening to choke her until she passed out. A man, her partner was clearly a man. “Stop,” she managed in a tight whisper. “I’m your contact.”

Claude’s breath seemed to get caught in his throat. He had been able to catch sight of Hilda behind the door through the edge crack as he had inched it further back. Was this possible? Had she been the one he had trusted with his life in setting up nearly every single job he was assigned? His fingers loosened just enough to keep her from losing consciousness, but he didn’t budge from keeping her pinned with the door as he continued to apply his weight against it. “Prove it,” he stated in a low, near whisper.

Her hand slowly released his wrist to reach down and dip into the pocket of her skirt where she pulled out her phone as she said, “Your phone will vibrate in just a moment.”

The phone which was solely used for only those two coming to life in his pocket, brought everything into perspective. Why he had seen her on more than one occasion. Why she was at that party. “Why?” he whispered as his hand relaxed a bit more around her throat and moved to rest at her shoulder as her hand lowered to put her phone back in her pocket. “Why are you still here? You are supposed to vacate,” he pointed out, still in a lowered voice.

“I heard you were planning on quitting,” she softly answered. “I had to see who I was losing. Who it was that I worked so well with. We never had a single aborted mission. Not a single missed target.” She let out a sigh. “So, are you gonna release the door so I can? Since you released my throat, I have to think that you aren’t still planning to choke me out.”

His mind whirled as he considered his plans to quit this business. Why did learning she was his partner even cause him pause in this decision? His head tipped forward a bit, resting against the door while he tried to think through what he was going to do now. Should he go completely against protocol and allow her to see it was him or should he follow his initial plan and… “Shit,” he uttered as his hand shifted back to her neck.

“Huh?” Startled that he was going to follow through with his initial plan, Hilda grabbed his wrist again. “Please. You don’t have to do this,” she softly said. “I won’t watch you as you leave. I’ll just let you disappear into the darkness and fondly remember how well we seemed to click. Once you turn in that phone and walk away, all connection will be severed. I promise.”

All connection will be severed, he repeated in his mind. Did he really want that? He could literally smell the sweet fragrance wafting toward his nostrils from behind the door. There was something about her. Something other than that scent that had stayed with him ever since that party. Every single time he had noticed her on the street or driving by in traffic, there was something that tugged at him. “If I don’t decide to quit, if I stay, we will have compromised ourselves by meeting.”

“So, they say,” she said now. “It happens if the partners have a falling out, failed jobs, mutual distrust or hate,” she argued. “We don’t seem to have that problem.”

“No guarantee we won’t,” he answered now, relaxing his hand again.

She smiled now that he clearly spoke rather than whispered. He spoke. Her brows knitted together, and she pushed to get him to say something else. “Are you saying that there is a chance that this is not our last job together? Because, if that is the case, I am delighted.”

He smiled now despite himself. “You have a way about you, Hilda Goneril.”

“Hey! How the hell do you know me anyway?” That he clearly knew exactly who she was but not that she was his partner surprised her. “And your voice is familiar,” she slowly said now.

“I asked about you once when I saw you across a crowded room. We have met before.” He decided to go against everything he knew was right. Slowly, he began to move back from the door to free her so she could step around and they could be face to face.

Stepping out, Hilda’s mouth dropped open as the light from the hallway cast over the man in black clothes standing in front of her. “It’s you,” she softly said as her eyes wandered over his face. She could remember the deep green of those eyes looking at her. He was just as she had remembered from that night when they had danced together, minus the tuxedo that had turned her heart on edge. His roguish good looks had been burned into her memory that night. “Claude Riegan.”

His dark brows lifted. “So, you remember.”

“Of course. We shared a rather pleasant dance, if I recall.”

“I recall a stunning black and pink strapless gown, hugging you in all the right places.” He smiled at the sigh she allowed to escape her lips as it words. “Seems to be your colors. And, I appreciate that you have always seemed to have my back.” 

She smiled. “It’s my job. I strive to do it perfectly.”

“Mmmhmmm. Then, what happened tonight? How did you even manage to stay here without being noticed?”

“I can be pretty resourceful and stealthy when I have to be, too, you know.” Her hand reached out and fixed the way the collar to his jacket had bent under. “I need to keep some of my talents secret.” She smiled now. 

He drew a deep breath now as he looked at her. His eyes had already quickly taken in her perfect figure clad in a sexy, black skater skirt and a dark pink sweater with a scoop neck allowing the gold star shaped pendant to sparkle in the dim light just atop her cleavage. Her hair, partially pulled back into a high ponytail spilled over her shoulders. “We need to get out of here.” 

“What’s the hurry?” Hilda frowned as she heard the faint musical ringtone of a cellphone.

“We need to leave before this guy is missed somewhere and someone comes looking.”

Hilda felt that slight rise in her adrenaline she always seemed to feel whenever things got a bit too close for her comfort. That twinge of danger. He was planning on walking out of her life. Even though she had no idea it was him that she had been working with, now that she did, she couldn’t just let him walk away without…she reached out and grabbed his arm. “Don’t leave,” she whispered. Then, she followed her instinct and slinking her hand around his head, she pulled until she joined her lips with his.

Pleasantly surprised by this action, he willingly followed her lead and wrapped his arms around her to pull her against him as his lips moved with hers. Every single alarm in his head was going off. As much as he wanted this, he knew it was a dangerous line to tread. He could feel her fingers slowly drifting upward into his hair at the back of his head while her other one boldly slipped around him and came to rest on his ass. Her lips parted, and he seized the opportunity to plunge his tongue into her mouth pleasantly noticing a slight minty taste.

“Don’t leave,” she softly whispered against his cheek when their lips parted. 

His eyes closed as he considered the predicament he was in now. His hit dead in the office at the back of the building, his contact no longer just a stranger with a message on his phone but the woman that haunted him, and now, second thoughts on getting out of this line of work. Enjoying the feel of her in his arms as his thoughts whirled, his hand skated up her back a bit while he continued to hold her close. He knew he should be shot for this. The two of them together was against everything he knew to be proper protocol for them now. 

Hilda leaned against him enough so that he stepped back to keep balance, coming against the door causing it to bang against the doorstop on the floor. Moving just enough so that she could stare into his eyes through the dim light, her hand slipped around from his head allowing her fingers to trail along the line of dark whiskers on his jawline. Something about him reached right into her being and pulled as if she had always been connected him somehow. If there was a thing as previous lives, she was sure they were connected in all of them.

Tipping his head, his lips bonded to hers again. His brain was screaming at him to stop and go, but his growing desire to feel more of her, taste more of her, and commit her scent to memory was stronger. Damn gloves were keeping him from feeling her like he wanted. “What do you want, Hilda?” he ventured to softly ask as he drew back to look at her.

A pale brow lifted. “Right now, I want you,” she purred as she took his gloved hand and placed it on her breast. She smiled as she felt his fingers ever so softly squeeze. “I know there’s a danger here,” she softly pointed out, “but we live in an occupation of constant danger, don’t we?”

His eyes shifted a moment to a table against the wall. Dare they? Was he really considering this here? He felt her hand move, coming in contact with his weapon. He shook his head, “Don’t.”

She smiled at him. “Hands off that gun of yours. I get it,” she said as she withdrew her hand to slip it onto his crotch. “How about this one?”

With a low growl, he pushed her back until she came against the table. “You are gonna be the death of us both,” he said as he began to pull off his gloves. “Touch nothing but me or this table,” he directed. 

Hilda watched him pull off his jacket to lay it on a stack of boxes and place his weapon on top of it with his gloves before turning back to her. She admired the way his black T-shirt hugged his body and made her fingers literally itch to touch him. The bottom of some type of tattooed design on his arm was visible at the bottom of the left sleeve. Her hands reached up under her sweater to unhook the front clasp of her bra and slowly lifting her sweater up, she enjoyed his smile of appreciation as she did so.

Claude felt the instant reaction to the sight of her ripple through him. The piercing at her belly button caught a glint of light for a moment as she moved. His hand reached out to softly gather an ample breast while the other reached down to unsnap his jeans. Hilda’s hands worked their way under his shirt to feel his warm skin as her lips sought his. Fueled by heated desire clouding his rational thoughts, his hand shifted from his zipper to find its way under her skirt, causing a soft rumble in his throat as his hand came in contact with her bare ass cheek due to the thong she wore.

“Like what you feel?” she cooed against his lips. She felt him slowly shake his head and frowned, pulling back to look at him.

“Love what I’m feeling,” he softly clarified as he pulled her hips against him and rocked his forward. “Turn around,” he softly directed.

Capturing her lower lip in her teeth, she smiled as she turned and leaned forward to rest on her elbows, wiggling her hips at him. “This what you had in mind?”

He softly chuckled as he came up behind her slipping one hand up her sweater and over her breast to softly tease a nipple while his other slinked down the front of her lacy thong and dove into her folds already slick and hot. They easily parted under his touch allowing for perfect access to explore as he leaned forward enough to be able to nuzzle her neck and enjoy that intoxicating fragrance of her skin.

The soft gasp that escaped her lips as he encircled her clit while his fingers slowly explored filled the room. His breath on her neck, his fingers caressing her breast while the other hand stroked and slipped down the length of her to dip into her before returning to her hardened nub made her head spin. Her feet slowly shifted a bit further apart to give him easier access while she felt him press his hips against her ass allowing her to feel his hardened erection.

“You feel amazing,” Claude softly said against her ear, smiling at her soft sigh in response. “I won’t easily be able,” he began as his finger pushed into her before sliding back up to press and tease again, “to just walk away from you.”

The way his hands moved, the perfect bit of pressure, caused her to rock and nearly lurch forward each time he struck that magic spot. She wanted more of him, so much more. “Don’t do it,” she sighed, her voice hushed as she felt heady with pleasure.

“Don’t do what?” he said as he moved his hand from her breast to pull her hair away from her neck so he could trail his tongue along it’s slender column.

“Don’t…” she let out a steady moan as her legs began to wobble under his continued assault, “don’t leave me.” She could hardly stand it any longer. “Claude, please…” she whined in a voice she didn’t even recognize as her own. It was mind numbing ecstasy, each and every stroke, but when he pressed his fingers against her and swirled, it was her undoing. Her hips lurched while her knees threatened to give away as she felt herself let go.

Panting, she turned to face him with eyes blown wide with darkened passion. Her chest heaved as she moved to push her soaked panties down before reaching out to push his pants down. Her eyes drank in hid hardened cock before her as her fingers trailed over it on the way upward to trace the dark line of hair leading upward to his navel. Bracing her hands on the edge of the table, she plunked herself on the edge and spread her legs with a smile.

As her hands reached out around his neck, he moved between her legs lifting her skirt out of the way. His eyes stared into hers as she stared back at him before he leaned forward to kiss her. His hands slipped to hold her hips in place while his lips continued to devour hers as he stepped into her and rocked himself against her heat. With a buck of his hips, he entered her easily as she was slick and ready for him, the experience nearly bringing him to his knees.

Pulling his lips from hers, he buried his face against her shoulder as he drew a deep breath while slowly rocking into her feeling completely intoxicated by the feel of her wrapped around him. For a few brief moments, everything in his brain seeped away leaving only thoughts of her. How perfect she fit against him inside and out. The soft sounds of her sighs and moans filling his ears like some divine symphony. It was as if they belonged together.

Hilda stared at him through partially closed eyes as he drew back from her enough to work his hand between them to set his fingers to work on her nub once again, causing her to purr in pleasure. She could feel her entire body reacting to every motion, every thrust of his hips as the pushed her closer to the edge once again. She could have cried at how perfect this moment was knowing that the chances of ever being with him again were slim. Rolling her hips upward, just a touch was the catalyst that exploded her climax as he pushed deeply into her and held while his eyes watched her ride through her bliss.

A slight smile touched his lips, while he enjoyed the sight of her splayed in front of him, as he slowly began an easy rhythm while his hands held her hips. His thrusts steadily became more urgent, one of her legs hooking around his hips. The sound of their bodies smacking together filled the room until he spilled into her, his head tipping back as a low moan poured from deep within him. She was damn perfect, he decided. The last thing he wanted was to pull out of her, but some things are unavoidable.

Still, as he did so, he reached out and pulled her close while his lips found hers. Letting her go was something he suddenly decided he couldn’t do. He could curse her for seeping into him as she had. Random thoughts of her were one thing, but this. Actually holding her, kissing her, feeling her wrapped around him in intimacy was more than he could take. 

Hilda’s eyes locked with his as they parted. Sucking a deep breath, she realized that she could spend the rest of her life looking into the green of his eyes. Her hand lifted to cup his cheek as a sad smile touched her lips. “At least we had this,” she whispered, her eyes welling at the realization that she would probably never see him again.

He pulled her against him, his head resting against hers as he hugged her in an embrace so tight, she could hardly breathe. “We have to go,” he finally said. Releasing her, he moved to pull up his pants before bending to pick up her panties that had fallen to the floor. He frowned as the faint sound of his target’s cellphone ringing sounded again. How many times it had been going off, he wondered for a moment as he collected his gloves and pulled them on.

Hilda finished putting herself together and watched Claude as he wiped his gloved hand over the doorknob and edge of the door before he looked at her. “How much have touched around this building?”

“Well, in the front, I actually talked to the personnel when I came in to inquire about their service and getting some help. Distraction is part of my job, you know. Do it well enough and a person can manage to get anywhere. So, no problem there.” Her brows knitted as she thought about it a minute. “Nope, nothing else that would raise any questions except for that door and, maybe, the casing. I held a paper towel from the bathroom in my hand when I unlocked the back door,” she said as she watched him wipe his hand over the door casing.

Turning, he walked over and wiped the table over before looking at the floor for any signs of residue. “Don’t touch anything,” he said as he collected his weapon and shrugged back into his jacket. “Let’s go.” He took her hand and headed out to the alley. Once outside, he motioned for her to keep quiet as he led the way through the alley and out to the street.

“So,” she began now as they walked toward a parking garage, “I guess this is goodbye for us.”

His lips compressed a moment. “No, it isn’t,” he softly answered.

Hilda’s face lit up. “Really?”

His hand tightened on hers as he looked at her. “We’re a team, right?”

“Hell, yeah, we are. The best team. Always.”


End file.
